Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper

In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus' final Passover, the night before he was crucified. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes.

The Modern Scholar: The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas

An enthusiastic admirer of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, professor and philosopher Peter Kreeft details the rational thought and precise literary talent that established Aquinas as the foremost thinker of his time - and as the most important philosopher for the almost 200 years between Aristotle and Descartes.

The New Testament

Whether taken as a book of faith or a cultural artifact, the New Testament is among the most significant writings the world has ever known, its web of meaning relied upon by virtually every major writer in the last 2,000 years. Yet the New Testament is not only one of Western civilization's most believed books, but also one of its most widely disputed, often maligned, and least clearly understood, with a vast number of people unaware of how it was written and transmitted.

The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages

Why were the early Christians willing to die rather than change a single iota of the creed? Why have the Judeans, Romans, and Persians - among others - seen the Christian creed as a threat to the established social order? In The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages, best-selling author Dr. Scott Hahn recovers and conveys the creed's revolutionary character.

C. S. Lewis - A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet

In honor of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis' death, celebrated Oxford don Dr. Alister McGrath presents us with a compelling and definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis, the author of the well-known Narnia series. For more than half a century, C. S. Lewis' Narnia series has captured the imaginations of millions. In C. S. Lewis - A Life, Dr. Alister McGrath recounts the unlikely path of this Oxford don, who spent his days teaching English literature to the brightest students in the world and his spare time writing.

Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Defend, and Explain the Catholic Faith

In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Whether complete or only fragmentary, the 930 extant Dead Sea Scrolls irrevocably altered how we look at and understand the foundations of faith and religious practice. Now you can get a comprehensive introduction to this unique series of archaeological documents, and to scholars' evolving understanding of their authorship and significance, with these 24 lectures. Learn what the scrolls are, what they contain, and how the insights they offered into religious and ancient history came into focus.

The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ

Over the past hundred years, scholars have attacked the historical truth of the Gospels and argued that they were originally anonymous and filled with contradictions. In The Case for Jesus, Brant Pitre taps in to the wells of Christian scripture, history, and tradition to ask and answer a number of different questions, including: If we don't know who wrote the Gospels, how can we trust them? How are the four Gospels different from other Gospels, such as the lost Gospel of "Q" and the Gospel of Thomas?

Kevin says:"Exceptional Book for anyone who is interested in Jesus Robert has a great mind and is a brilliant communicator"

C. S. Lewis: Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces

This is an extensive collection of short essays and other pieces by C. S. Lewis that have been brought together in one volume for the first time. As well as his many books, letters, and poems, Lewis also wrote a great number of essays and shorter pieces on various subjects. He wrote extensively on Christian theology and the defense of faith but also on various ethical issues and on the nature of literature and storytelling. In this essay collection we find a treasure trove of Lewis' reflections on diverse topics.

The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth

Of all things Catholic, there is nothing that is so familiar as the Mass. With its unchanging prayers, the Mass fits Catholics like their favorite clothes. Yet most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays fail to see the powerful supernatural drama that enfolds them. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as "Heaven on Earth," explaining that what "we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy."

Augustine: Philosopher and Saint

These 12 illuminating lectures paint a rich and detailed portrait of the life, works, and ideas of this remarkable figure, whose own search for God has profoundly shaped all of Western Christianity. You'll learn what Augustine taught and why he taught it – and how those teachings and doctrines helped shape the Roman Catholic Church. These lectures are rewarding even if you have no background at all in classical philosophy or Christian theology.

Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere

First presented at a series of popular retreats, this full audio program takes a participatory approach to Merton's most useful teachings, helping us to discover our true self...to disappear into God; to be submerged into his peace; to be lost in the secret of his face, as Merton said, through daily practices including contemplation, prayer, and faith. In the end we find ourselves in what the Taoist sage Chuang Tzu called the Palace of Nowhere, where all the many things are one.

Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction

The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this audiobook, Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.

Jean-Paul Sartre: The Giants of Philosophy

Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, is perhaps the best known advocate of existentialism. In this view, no external authority gives life meaning: mankind is radically free and responsible. In every moment we choose ourselves, with no assurance that we have a continuing identity or power.

The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief - all of them - right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments that once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate? Equally important: what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality?

Dark Night of the Soul

Part poetic masterpiece, part mystic treatise, The Dark Night of the Soul by 16th century Carmelite monk St. John of the Cross, addresses the feeling of being forgotten by the Presence of the Almighty that every Christian desirous of walking more closely with God must pass through in order to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

Who Was Jesus?

Did the historical person Jesus really regard himself as the Son of God? What did Jesus actually stand for? And what are we to make of the early Christian conviction that Jesus physically rose from the dead? In this book, N. T. Wright considers these and many other questions raised by three controversial books about Jesus: Barbara Thiering's Jesus the Man, A. N. Wilson's Jesus: A Life, and John Shelby Spong's Born of a Woman.

On Augustine

Since his retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury and his return to academic life (Master of Magdalene College Cambridge), Rowan Williams has demonstrated a massive new surge of intellectual energy. In this new audiobook, he turns his attention to St Augustine. St Augustine not only shaped the development of Western theology, he also made a major contribution to political theory (The City of God) and, through his Confessions, to the understanding of human psychology.

Publisher's Summary

Friedrich Hegel developed a profound and influential synthesis of all prior knowledge. He aimed to make philosophy an all-comprehensive science that would restate, in rational language, the truth of Christianity. In Hegel's vast speculative and idealistic philosophy, truth is found not in the part but in the whole. Nature is an organic whole shot through with rationality akin to the reason in ourselves.

Hegel viewed history as the growth of human consciousness, which is also the emergence of freedom. He thought that progress takes the form of the "dialectic", a historical process that moves us, through struggle and contradiction, to a higher stage of development. These ideas had a great impact on virtually all subsequent philosophy, particularly that of Marx, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Dewey.

The Giants of Philosophy is a series of dramatic presentations, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall world view of history's greatest philosophers. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life.

I suspect I will have the same thing to say about all of the books in this series, as they are all narrated by Charlton Heston and are similar in quality. These books are a lot of fun as they are concise, easy to understand, clear on the main points, and masterfully read. The recording is also excellent. Although my political leanings kept me from being excited about downloading a book read by Charlton Heston, I have to admit that he has a style and flair that make the books very listenable. The "European" accented readings of other philosophers by other actors are a little cheesy at first, but do help with the atmosphere.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Harvey J. Musser

04/01/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"The worst waste of my time and money"

What disappointed you about Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel?

The use of a pseudo German accent for Hegel was not only annoying but completely inept. The accent and the rhythm made these quotes practically useless. Heston was excellent. I am not sure why those who record philosophy feel the need to make the philosophers prigs. Hegel is difficult enough without providing a well paced easily understood voice for the presentation. A philosophical analysis should not feel the need to be high school drama.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I will serious reconsider trying any more philosophical tracts.

Would you be willing to try another one of Charlton Heston???s performances?

Heston in his own voice was excellent

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and annoyance.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Johan

22/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Worst co-narrator of all times"

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Let Heston read the quotes from Hegel as well, or at least let somebody else read those parts without a stupid, fake, German accent.

How could the performance have been better?

Warning: It seems that all of the Giants of Philosophy audiobooks have some sort of fake accent fetish. All parts that are direct quotes from Hegel in this book is read with a super distracting, silly accent, that is probably down right insulting to English speaking Germans. Sounds like something out of a satire movie...

It's difficult to understand Hegel under good circumstances. With this reading, it's down right impossible. I found myself zoning out during the quotes and just wait until they were over and let Charlton Hestons narration (great work by Heston btw) do the summary and explanation.

Any additional comments?

I made the mistake of buying both this book and the Hume book of the same series simultaneously. I won't be buying any more from this series, which is a shame, because the content is alright and Heston's narration great, but the fake accents... can't stand it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Stephen

Brownsville, Texas, United States

25/10/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Hegel Explained"

This is one of the best introductions to Hegel’s thought that I have encountered in over twenty years of reading Hegel. It is challenging and requires effort of the listener to work through the outline, but in the end, a very clear picture of Hegel’s overall thought is developed. This is in no way a watered-down account. The lecture deals with Hegel’s most important and difficult ideas: dialectic, his critique of the understanding, the organic and developmental nature of concepts, Hegel’s view of the state, Hegel’s understanding of art, religion, and philosophy, as well as the critiques off Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, and Marx. The author challenges the listener to think through Hegel’s arguments without ever becoming tedious or too opaque (we are talking about Hegel). Charlton Heston’s voice is perfect for easing one through the difficult nature of Hegel’s thought (forget about his politics!) The accents are corny, but the selections of readings are perfect and compliment the course itself. This recording is more than well worth the two hours and five dollars spent.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Jay Quintana

25/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Ruined by Hegel's accent"

As others have mentioned, Hegel's quotes are read in an absurd, hard to understand faux German accent. It's annoying and frustrating and the point of it completely escapes me. Heston does a great job and I think we're given a good introduction to Hegelian thought. Ergo, if you can stomach the accent -- which, in fairness, is probably less than 10% of the audio -- you'll probably like this. For me, though, the accent was just too much. Reading a transcript would've been a much more enjoyable experience.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

philosopher65

Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States

15/01/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Where would we be without Hegel?"

George Hegel...what a treat. If you have even a remote interest in one of the great philosophical leaders, you owe it to yourself to procure this particular work. Just a fine introduction to Hegel's works and philosophy.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Anja

Zagreb, Croatia

06/03/11

Overall

"Don't Underestimate the Silliness of the Accent"

It is very hard to evaluate this introduction to Hegel - the lecture itself seems for now to be fine - but don't underestimate the importance of what another reviewer said: The passages by Hegel - which are crucial for understanding of the lecture - are read in an absolutely idiotic fake German accent. It is almost impossible to concentrate on the meaning of the passages and the entire lecture sounds like a farce.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Heather

Burr Ridge, IL, United States

05/09/07

Overall

"Silly Accents"

The Fake German accent is so silly as make me laugh. It completely negates the quality of the underlying writing by Hegel.

Too bad, since I am a fan of Heston the narrator.

2 of 4 people found this review helpful

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